Automatic fire-resisting curtain



Oct. 5, 1926. 1,602,366

E. H. M CLOUD AUTOMATIC FIRE RESI STING CURTAIN Filed Jan. 15. 1923 INVENTOR EDWARD H.MCLOU D A'l-Tvs.

Patented Get. 5, 1926.

EDVTARD H. MCCLOUD, 01f COLUMBUS, QHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE KINNE AR I/EANUFAC eases CPU-RING COMPANY, COLUMBUS, OHIO, CORPOBATTQLI OF OHIQ.

AUTOMATIC. rrannnsrsrine CURTAIN.

an a sanitar -1 .8$ S ia 1T? 612. 8.-

T i v t on lsle e qt thewpe. i firs e ti Yelling eu fiai a is rmally held up ready for automatic closing oper ationby the release of fusible means acted on by nearby fire. As shutters after instal; lation are rarely or never operated or tested their bearings may become corroded to such an extent as to prevent operation at the crit: ical moment it is the object of the present invention to provide means whereby a quick initial blow is imparted to the curtain wind,- ing member in its unwinding direction, said blow caused and followed by the pressure of a spring to start the curtain downward to closing position. Other objects will appear from the disclosure herein.

The invention is embodied in the example.

, herein shown'an'd described, the features of novelty being finally claimed.

In the accompanying drawing?v Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken longitudinally of the curtain drum.

Fig. 2 is a detail mainly in elevation $11ow ing he mp c me r 21 a a ge s leis. 3 a cross se iea he l ne IIIII I Fig.

. Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line IV, IY Fig. 2 showing the position of the impact lug in shutter raising or raised position. i

Fig. 5 is a similar section showing the pact lug starting the curtain down.

In the views 6 designates the barrel or curtain receiving member upon which the curtain is coiled. One end of the barrel (the left hand end as shown in Fig. 1) provided with a plug and is supported on a shaft 7 that in turn is supported in an end bracket 8 fastenedto the wall of the building containing the opening to be closed by the curtain. The shaft 7 is capable of being turned on its axis but has fixed to its outer end a wheel 7 a provided at its rim with a series of perforations any of which receives a pin passed through a perforated lug 8 cast on the bracket for holding it so that the wheel and shaft can be held in any of the several positions permitted by the holes. The inner end of said shaft 7 where it enters the barrel is provided with a coil spring 9 secured at one end to the shaft 7 and at its other end to a plug 10 secured to the barrel so that by turning the shaft 7 and placing it under tension and then fixing the wheel 7 the desired degree of counterbalancing effect can be had on the curtain. In the present instance. the tension to be placed on the to prevent violent descent of the curtainwhen it "is liberated for closing as herein-- after described. The plugld'is centrally Perforated and the] shaft 7 extends there hr ug ,I I. .7

The other end of the barrel isalso provide ed with a plug as seen at 11 and is supported on a shaft 12. The. inner portion 'ofthis shaft where it extends into the barrel has pinned to it thick disk 13 having at its right hand side a lug 13?. adapted to engage alte a a e natterescr be ampposedends ofan arcuate boss ll on the in.- ner face of the plug 11. The opposed ends of the arcuate boss are shown as separatedbya space somewhat more th an a quadrant I so that the lug 13 calibe swung about that distance. The opposite facefo f the disk 13" is provided with similar lug 13,. that is en gaged by a similar lug on the right hand one of a series of disks 14 identical with each other turning loose, on the 12. Each of the three disks 14; is provided with a lug on its oppositeface so that they are interengaging and by turning the left hand one of the disks all the disl lsca n be turned. until finally they are brought into engagement.each one with the nextuntil the movement is finall y arrested bya relatively fixed part orv lug as for. exa nple an end of the arcuate boss 11?. v Loose on the shaft 12 to the left of the left hand disk is a cdl lar or clutch member 15 having a lug 15 to engage the left hand lug of the proximate disk 14 and connecting said clutch'n ember and a collar 1.6 pinned to the inner end of the shaft 7 is a short coil spring 17 The outer portion of the shaft 12 is provided with an escapement braking or retarding means at 18 adapted to prevent a too. rapid descent of the curtain it not being necessary to show or describe in detail'such mechanism because not part of the present invention. The outer end of said shaft has ix hereto sheave .9- t w h, s nected the end of a cable 20 for winding up the shutter, said cable being provided with a fusible link 21 exposed at the proper point when the curtain is raised dividing the cable in case of fire and therefore releasing the shaft and curtain for closing. The other end of the cable can be wound on a drum 22 near the floor, said drum operated by a crank 23 and provided with a dog 24 for latching it when the curtain is coiled up on the barrel. The curtain is held up by the dog and can be designedly released at any time by disengaging that member. s

Let it be assumed that in practice that six turns of the barrel are required to normally coil up the curtain, this coiling up being effected by the unwinding of the cable; about five and one half of these turns will bring the lugs of the clutch mechanism together and the other half turn will be against the spring 17 thereby placing the lug 13' in the position shown in Fig. 4: in which position the barrel is held by securing the cable. Upon the release of the barrel by release of the cable either manually or by undue heatthe lug 13 whirls .and strikes the arcuate lug 11 with a sharp impact imparting an initial movement to the barrel loosening it if stuck by corroded bearings. In the downward movement of the curtain the contacting lugs of the clutch members become separated because the motion of the shaft 12 is reversed.

The number of the intermediate disks 14 is proportioned to the length of the cur tain, the number and their location being such that theirlugs shall all be interen'gaged when the curtain is nearly completely raised the complete raising being finally effected through the closed lugs and against the spring 17wvhich is thereby placed under tension in which condition of the parts the winding cable is fastened.

The forms of the parts can be varied without departing from the gist of the invention as claimed.

lVhat I claim is:

1. The combination with a fire resisting curtain and winding drum therefor, of means for imparting an initial closing movement to the curtain including a spring, a rotary impact member to act on the drum to impart rotary curtain unrolling motion thereto, and a plurality of interengaging members between said spring and impact member, said spring adapted to be placed under tension by the engagement of said interengaging members and of the impact member with the drum in the final winding up of the curtain thereon and thermally controlled means for holding said spring in a state of tension for operation in case of fire.

2. The combination with a fire resisting curtain" and winding drum therefor, of means for imparting an initial closing movement to the curtain including a spring, a rotary impact member to act on the drum to impart rotary curtain unrolling'motion thereto, and .a plurality of independently rotatable but interengaging members between said spring and impact member, said spring adaptedto be placed under tension by the engagement of said intergaging members and of the impact member with the drum in the final winding up of the curtain thereon and thermally controlled means for holding said spring in a state of tension for operation in case offire. V I

3. The combination with a fire resisting curtain and winding drum therefor and counterbalancig means for the curtain, of means for imparting an initial closing movement to the curtain inclding a spring, a rotary impact member to act on the drum to impart rotary curtain unrolling motion thereto, and a plurality of interengaging members between said spring and impact member, said spring adapted to be placed under tension by the engagement of said interengaging members and with the impact member with the drum in the final winding up of the curtain thereon and thermally controlled means for holding said spring in a state of tension for operation in case of fire.

4. The combination with a fire resisting curtain and winding drum therefor, of means for imparting an initial closing move ment to the curtain including a spring and an impact member rotatable with-out movement in its axial direction and actuatablef by said spring to impart a'starting blow to 7 said drum, said spring adapted to be placed under tension when the curtain is finally wound on the drum, and thermally controlled means for holding said spring in a state of tension for operation in case of fire.

5. The combination with a filUreSlSlllIlg curtain and winding drum therefor, of

means for imparting an initial closing move ment to the curtain including a spring and a rotary impact member actuated to act directly on the drum to impart rotary mo tion thereto, said spring adapted to be placed under tension by the engagement of said impact member with the drum in the final winding up of the curtain thereon and thermally controlled means for holding said impact spring in a state of tension for operati-on in case of fire.

EDWARD H. McOLOUD. 

